LIRR seeks to lease 8-21 MARC coaches (for Montauk Summer)

3 MARC cars westbound through Harold this morning between DE #413 and C3 cab car.

Saw video and pictures on facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1576908 ... 7/?fref=nf

Some of the cars returned back as Tim says - another handful are being tested now this week for future use with a C3 cab since MARC doesn't want any mods done to their own cabcars. Rightfully so

The MARC cab cars are set up with ACSES as well as NEC Cab Signals. It's going to be awhile untill ACSES is installed on LIRR.

ACSES can be cut out , but you simply can't make a 4 aspect cab signal into a 5 aspect cab signal without heavy modifications .

Marc cars, 412 and the C3 were laid up at LIC today.

Observed the same there at LIC this past Sunday, SEP 24, at 9am.

A test train was seen this morning at 10:50 AM between Woodside and Forest Hills in Queens with C3 #5020 leading, MARC cars, 7754 7714 and 7707 with trailing power #413. This was headed westbound towards Long Island City.

That test train lays up in LIC. Rare to see a train down there on the weekend, much less a specialized one.

The MARC cars were in LIC again today, on a short train with a locomotive and a bi-level coach as well.

Is it too late to ride a regularly-scheduled LIRR passenger train with the MARC cars?

Yes. Five of them are already back at MARC. These three are just hanging around for testing.

They'll be back in the late spring/early summer 2018.

They are in LIC for training purposes. Crews are being taught how to operate the equipment

If MARC cab cars are not to be used as such by LIRR why did almost half the leased fleet consist of cab cars? Don't you lose a few seats with the cab configuration? Or was this a situation of having to take whatever was available at the time? 3 out of 8 seems like a high ratio of cab cars in any case.

I believe only the cab cars have bathrooms, thus the need for so many cab cars.

Their trailer coaches ending in xx90-xx99 also have bathrooms. 7799 was among the eight leased, IIRC. Not sure if that is among the 3 that remain.